The Peter and Paul Cathedral, located on the territory of the fortress of the same name, is the most important attraction of the Northern capital, and its visit is included in many sightseeing tours of the city on the Neva. Built in the style of Peter's Baroque, the temple was built by the architect Domenico Trezzini, and its construction was completed in 1733.
History : the majestic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul appeared on the site of a wooden church founded in 1703, which appeared on the territory of Hare Island simultaneously with the creation of impregnable earthen ramparts. After the solemn consecration in June 1733, the temple stood in its original form for a little over twenty years, since in 1756 its building was damaged due to a fire caused by a lightning strike. The cathedral’s spire and the chimes located on the facade of the temple were badly damaged, and only twenty years later a new mechanical watch appeared on the building. They were performed by an outstanding master from Holland, O. Crassus, and the chimes played the national anthem of the Russian State every hour.
Peter and Paul Cathedral was often visited by members of the imperial family, and even the sovereign was often present at memorial services. And inside the temple was created the royal tomb, where the remains of the members of the imperial family, beginning with Peter the Great, rested. Since 1865, the old tombstones have been replaced with the same type of white-marble sarcophagi, on which gilded crosses are carved.
Since 1924, the majestic Peter and Paul Cathedral has become a museum, but many valuable items, including the rarest books and silver utensils, the authorities transferred to other museum collections. Divine services in the magnificent church began to be held again only in 1990, but the cathedral still has not lost its status as a museum, and unique collections for the convenience of visitors are collected in its own room.
Interior : The Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg attracts visitors due to its luxurious interior, and the interior resembles the design of the halls of the royal palace. Pylons painted in natural marble delimit the interior of the temple into three separate naves. On the walls of the building you can see religious paintings made by painters G. Gzel, M. A. Zakharov and A. Matveev, A. Quadri and I. Rossi worked on the stucco decoration, but the carved iconostasis becomes a real “pearl”.
It stands out thanks to the elegance of lines and lightness, as well as the bright gilding characteristic of the Baroque style. All the icons for the luxurious iconostasis were made by the Moscow master A.Pospelov. In front of the altar, visitors to the best church in the city on the Neva can see a beautiful gilded cathedral, which is decorated with sculptures of two angels. The royal place is located symmetrically to her, and raspberry velvet was used to decorate it, where the embroidered two-headed eagle and a gilded carved crown stand out.
Belfry : visiting the Peter and Paul Cathedral, you should pay attention to the majestic bell tower 122.5 meters high, which is crowned with a thin golden spire, decorated with an unusual figure of a flying angel. The spire of the high bell tower was erected by the Dutchman G. van Boles, and after damage to the angel-weather vane in 1829 during a severe storm, restoration work was entrusted to roofer Peter Telushkin.
To climb to the top of the sharp spire, the master used only a rope, so the emperor awarded the brave roofer for courage. So, he was allowed to drink absolutely free in any tavern of the Russian State. In 1858, the wooden structures included in the spire were decided to be exchanged for reliable metal elements. According to the project of architect Zhuravsky, the construction was rebuilt in the form of a truncated octagonal pyramid, which was connected using rings.